Ten years ago, Marissa McTasney sold her first pair of pink work boots – the trademark product of her company Moxie Trades Ltd. – to a U.S. customer through her online store.

But she waited another five years to fully launch into the U.S. market to make sure she had the knowledge base, market strategy and inventory in place to tackle this new and potentially lucrative market.

Since then Ms. McTasney’s U.S. base has grown to 30 per cent of her $2-million-a-year sales, including a recent partnership with industrial safety product supplier Illinois-based W.W. Grainger Inc.

America first

But with U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist “America first” talk, which includes discussions of increased domestic manufacturing and heavy taxes on competing imports, Canadian business owners such as Ms. McTasney are feeling concerned about what lies ahead.

Many, however, have no option but to look at the much bigger market south of us.

“For me, it’s quite significant and I’ve been looking to grow the U.S. business so that I’m not so vulnerable here in Canada,” she says. “There are not a lot of large retailers in Canada, so I wanted to diversify.”

Marissa McTasney, Founder and CEO of Moxie Trades, celebrates the Original Pink Work Boot’s ten year anniversary by observing March 27th as National Day of Moxie – daring women to find and celebrate their “inner moxie”, or the ability to face fear with spirit and courage.

International Women’s Day celebrates equality, diversity and inclusion worldwide. Championing those working to support women entrepreneurs and business leaders is essential in raising the bar for gender parity. Marissa McTasney, Founder and CEO of MoxieTrades, is passing on the torch to Janice McDonald, Founder of The Beacon Agency to become the new Startup Canada Women’s Ambassador. Janice is preparing to inspire national action with one empowering idea.

To subdue the fire-breather, Marissa McTasney needed a great idea, determination, and the intestinal fortitude to pitch her idea to a panel of billionaires on CBC’s hit show, Dragons’ Den, and then walk away when the offer didn’t feel right.

Marissa McTasney is the Pink Work Boot Lady in footwear circles and known in the business world as a woman with moxie. She is the Founder and President of Moxie Trades Ltd.

Moxie Trades is now a multi-million dollar threat in the safety footwear industry and the most recognized brand of women’s safety footwear in Canada. Moxie Trades safety footwear can be found in over five hundred retail outlets across North America.

The overall learning from the Women’s March is that the real work has only just begun. January 21, 2017, was about awareness, and the world rallied in response. But now that the world’s attention has been held the groups must come together and communicate, and push policy and associations to do better work, and stay engaged as a community.